One child killed since Syrian enclave ‘truce’

[2/27/2018 6:18:58 AM]

AMMONNEWS - A few hours after announcing a five-hour truce declared by Russia on Tuesday morning, Syrian activists reported the killing of two civilians following the bombing of an exit path for the civilians stranded in the eastern Ghouta.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that "the forces of the regime launched a raid on the town of Al-Aftris, threw two barrels of explosives on the town of Chifonya and also shelled locations in the outskirts of the cities of Harasta and Duma, in Dumah and in the town of Masraba, where a civilian was wounded."

Syria regime rocket fire killed a civilian, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said the victim was a boy in the town of Jisreen, where seven people were also wounded.

The United Nations confirmed the continued fighting in the eastern Ghouta despite the truce. "The fighting continued this morning, according to reports from the eastern Ghouta," UN spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva.

"It is still too early to talk about any relief operations for civilians as clashes continue,” he added.

Russia blamed the Syrian opposition for bombing a passageway made for civilians. TASS news agency quoted the Russian army as accusing the Syrian opposition fighters in eastern Ghouta of raiding the path with mortar shells.

The military said none of the civilians were able to leave through the passageway, which is aimed at allowing civilians to leave the conflict zone.